


When We Meet in Osaka

by PhoenixJRossi



Category: Samurai Love Ballad Party - Fandom
Genre: Alternate History, Angst, F/M, Historical Inaccuracy, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 10:52:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14975642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixJRossi/pseuds/PhoenixJRossi
Summary: Told from the point of view of each of the wives of the samurai era's greatest warriors, "When We Meet in Osaka" is set just after the death of Oda Nobunaga in an alternative history telling of the events leading up to the Battles of Sekigahara and Osaka. Fandom labeled as "Sakura Amidst Chaos", but is actually set in the world of "Samurai Love Ballad Party".





	1. Introductions in Oshu

**Author's Note:**

> This story may change as more Act II's are released for Samurai Love Ballad Party (or as I decide I'd like to change "blue" to "mazarine"). All original characters are based in some way on the MC for SLBP.

 

Lady Sanada

/*\

There was a chilling rain that morning, very characteristic of Oshu and even more so of the turmoil that had befallen her lord and his allies.

“The Lord of Hell, alright, now he can rot in it,” one retainer spat, surely only loud enough for me and his conversational companions to hear. It did not seem to reach the ears of my husband, Lord Sanada Yukimura, who stood a little ways from me in the main hall, conversing with his brother, Lord Nobuyuki, about their assessments of those present. It seemed the room was thoroughly divided among clan lines, even if the point had been a gathering to introduce them to each other, courting new alliances after the fall of the Oda. As usual, it would seem only the women would cross these lines, but the first to make this move shocked everyone.

“Welcome to Oshu, gentlemen, and especially to Yonezawa.” Lady Imame, Lord Katakura’s future bride, was elegantly bowing before Lord Yukimura and Lord Nobuyuki, before raising her head to great them with a warm-but-reserved smile. Lady Date was quickly at her side, looking a bit flustered at her admittedly-lower-ranking counterpart’s behavior.

“As she said, milords, welcome,” she added, after quickly bowing to them. Lord Nobuyuki was the first to speak as I made my way over to them. He was his usual, polite self, his smile betraying as little as Lady Imame's did. Before Lord Yukimura could get too uncomfortable, I bowed before Lady Date to save him.

“Hello, milady, and thank you for having us here.”

“O-Oh, it’s a pleasure, Lady Sanada, truly.” Nobody had heard much of Lady Date before she appeared in Oshu, but her nervous smile and unrefined hands told me that, like myself, she was no noble born lady. Still, I tried not to draw attention to it, and Lady Imame didn’t give me the time.

“Milady, if you would,” she coaxed, ushering Lady Date away now that she had her fully involved in her plans to mingle. I took note of their actions and decided to make myself useful as well, making my way around the room. The men now began to relax too, giving their eyes and soon, their words to the other samurai about. In the crowded hall, it wasn’t long before things got quite lively and I found myself running straight into someone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I bowed quickly, but my eyes were caught on the shining lilac silk of a fine kimono. Subtle blue flowers were embroidered on it, stark against a spread of white clouds. Forgetting my manners, I snapped my head up to look into the lady’s eyes and found a grief that threatened to consume me hidden in a steady smile.

“It’s quite alright, Lady Sanada,”

“L-Lady Akechi…” that was all I could muster as she walked away, taking her place again beside a pageboy who quietly attended to her. Her face was drawn, its color greatly lacking. A thick plait of deep, ash brown hair hung down her back, soft bangs casting shadows over her face. Her honeyed eyes seemed to only half look at anything they fell on.

“I can’t imagine…” came a voice from beside me. It was so sudden that I gasped as I turned to see Lady Imame beside me. Her color was much more vibrant in comparison, sharp hazel eyes beneath long lashes and a swath of deep brown hair. The Aegean blue of her kimono, accented by seaweed and sun, was more noticeable now too, in comparison to the gentle purple worn by Lady Akechi.

“Lord Akechi didn’t even attend. His wife is probably feeling out opinions of him in court, but look at her!” Lady Imame’s voice was almost admonishing as she looked over the sullen lady. But Lady Date was quick to respond.

“Of course she’s upset, Imame! She lost her best friend!” I turned to Lady Date now with eyes still wide. Her softer, round face carried a faint blush, probably from being looked upon so closely by someone she might assume was higher born. As she tried to take a step away from me, I opened my mouth.

“What do you mean?” Lady Date’s amber eyes now went wide, the blush on her cheeks completely gone. The shock soon melted into a look of pity as her eyes quickly darted back to Lady Akechi.

“Well…Lady Oda…”

“She died in the fire with Lord Nobunaga.” Lady Imame’s acerbic tone cut through Lady Date’s hesitation, her face first seeming to hold no concern for either woman. Quickly though, her hazel eyes fell again on Lady Akechi, her face softening. “The two women were supposedly very close…”

We all looked back to Lady Akechi now, her appearance here now seeming an omen of things to come.

-

“Milady, they’re staring again.” Ranmaru ventured quietly as he poured more tea for his mistress. She made no move to draw attention to his acknowledgment as she answered.

“They will, Ranmaru, you would too.” He felt his face heat up at that blatant truth laid before him. He moved to take his place beside her again, trying not to notice the faces of the three noblewomen who had taken to watching them. Miyuki felt the gentle warmth of the tea in her hands and suddenly, they were shaking. She could no longer tell which she grieved more: her husband, her friend, or the days before they were gone.


	2. The War Widow

Lady Kirigakure

/*\

I rose with the first chirps of eager morning birds, but I can’t say I really slept. Saizo, the Lord Assassin, has been gone for a few nights now, even before Lord Yukimura and Lord Nobuyuki left with Natsumi. I guess I should call her “milady” now, but we were both kitchen girls once upon a time. It seems odd now, even given my own raised station, to be so formal. Still, none of their absences plagues me as much as the one who had departed long before and the bride I am left to care for.

After preparing a simple meal, I make my way down the corridors to a far corner of the castle, removed from the usual hubbub of life here at Ueda, and gently rap on the shoji door.

“Lady Takeda, I’ve brought breakfast.” As usual, there isn’t a response, so I enter. Lady Harume Takeda was once the dauntless bride of Takeda Shingen. Her gallant smile led men like him into battle and back home again. She was as warm and vivacious as he was boisterous and heroic.

Now she is all that’s left of him.

-

_In the dead of night, Natsumi Sanada and Shiome are seated in the Sanada bedchambers, Sasuke laid between them as the wind batters the shoji doors. Shiome, anxious and made more so by the noise, moves to find something to steady the doors, but Natsumi stops her._

_“Not the doors, Shio,” she whispers, barely audible over the wind. Before Shiome can snap at her, the doors rattle open and Matsuko, one of the maids, rushes inside._

_“Milady, they’re returning!”_

_“In the night…” Natsumi muttered. Sasuke was sitting up now, rubbing the sleep from his eyes._

_“Soldiers belong to the daylight…don’t return in darkness…” he was mumbling. Everyone felt their skin prickle, but no one gave any more voice to the prediction announced by Sasuke. Instead, the young women rose to their feet, Natsumi pulling the little ninja along, and they rushed down the hall to the castle gates. There, bleeding men groaned and cried in agony. Their uniforms were caked with blood and mud. The air was acrid and heavy. Natsumi frantically pushed her way through the ranks until that famous Sanada crimson was before her eyes, but another sort of crimson brought her feet to a halt. In his arms was an all too familiar cloak wrapped around an all too familiar woman._

_“Ha-Harume!” she gasped. That got Shiome’s attention and she was suddenly beside Natsumi, taking in the tired form of both Harume and Lord Yukimura._

_“Get her a room. Take care of her.” His voice was low, but breaking. His blue-green eyes fell hard on Shiome especially, as if looking at his own wife was too painful. They all nodded and Lord Yukimura passed Harume off to Saizo before grabbing Natsumi by the arm and dragging her away from the scene. Saizo’s stony face fell on Shiome now, his eyes still ripe with blood lust. He gave her a devilish smile before speaking._

_“It’s not even her blood, little lady,” he offered. His apathetic voice fell on her like ice water, shocking her to action. Shiome turned and ran back to the castle, Saizo following behind._

_In the Sanada chambers, Lord Yukimura closed the doors and turned to Natsumi. All of his strength seemed to fade in an instant and he collapsed to his knees before her. Before he could fully prostrate himself, she rushed to his side, letting his head fall in her lap where he quietly sobbed._

_“Milord…Shingen…he…” he never finished the sentence. He didn’t have to. What Natsumi most feared, as did Shiome, had come for their friend instead. This was the only home for Lady Takeda now, as she had nothing to be Lady of._

-

“You can call me Harume, you know?” I was so immersed in remembering that dreadful night that her voice, long thought lost, startled me to the point of dropping the tray before her. The food rattled but settled with little spilled. A small smile spread across her lips. “I thought ninjas were quiet.”

“Saizo’s the ninja, not me!” I shouted, but the noise seemed so much louder in this far away room. Tears pricked the corners of Harume’s eyes, but she shook them away.

“I can’t keep sitting here like this.” She placed her hands surely on her stomach, the growing bump just barely visible. “Let’s go to the garden.” I offered to call the maids to help Harume dress, but she shook me off, asking only for me to watch over her, as her feet were a bit unsteady. She dressed herself in a simple mauve yukata, brushed her carob hair behind her, and presented herself to me at the door. With her arm linked in mine, I led her down the corridor to the main garden. She smiled against the warm sunlight, which she hadn’t set foot in since coming to this castle, but the tears still lingered.

“I have to be strong now.”

“It’s okay to cry, Harume.”

“It was,” she breathed, “and I did. I’m done now.” I looked at her face, staring resolutely into the sky. Her muddy green eyes were alive in a way that they hadn’t been for a while. “Shingen…Milord would not want this from me.”

She was still leaning on my arm for support. In her face, I saw all the strength and determination of her late husband, but her eyes only reflected the Sanada now. The tremble of her shoulders was waning, this storm passing her. Like light peeking through the clouds, the Harume we once knew was returning to us.


	3. Lightning in a Bottle

Lady Katakura & Lady Date

/*\

I could feel the cold dew clinging to my skin as I stood out on the veranda. The morning fog had yet to roll out of the garden, ushering in the rising sun. A letter was hanging loosely in my fingers, its contents long since memorized, the careful strokes affirming the betrayal of Oda Nobunaga at Hongan-ji, his demise. Not even a whole sentence could be spared to his wife, simply affording her “along with his wife”.

Since that fateful day, I’ve found myself staring into the morning sky and wondering about Lady Sanako. I knew her briefly, so I don’t wonder about her character. I wonder about her final moments, the thoughts that drive a woman into a burning building, chasing the obi-tails of assured destruction. I wonder what her death means for any of us.

“It does not suit a lady to wear such things in the cold, that nightgown or that face,” he purred, catching the letter out of the air after it had slipped from my fingers. Lord Kojuro is not an affectionate man in public, but in private, his hands never cease seeking me out. His arms wind their way around my small shoulders.

“As your page…I have access to letters and…information not privy to the other servants.” I began, my voice still hoarse from sleep.

“And also as my wife,” Lord Kojuro teased, but I could only shake my head at his reminder. His wife in spirit, really. Only a select few people-Lord Date, Shinomi, Shigezane, and Kojirou-knew of our marriage in the annex at Yonezawa. It felt like the best decision in the face of so much unrest.

“I know of what happened to Oda. To his… _wife_ …” I let that last word hang in the air, the word not yet truly afforded to me, not matter how desperately I wished it to be, “and what is coming for us now. We…are going to ally with the Tokugawa?” I finally turned to face him now, but his emerald eyes were lost in the mountains of Oshu. “Or…the Toyotomi…?” When his gaze returned to mine, he tried to give me a mask of assuredness, as if I was wondering about things that were already settled.

“We _were_ allies of the Oda.” I continued.

“I am allied with Lord Masamune. That is all you need to concern yourself with now, my precious girl.” I could feel the vice tightening on my heart, but Lord Kojuro, in his usual way, just kissed my forehead and walked away. He wouldn’t speak of this again until he had all the answers, I know, but I feel that means we may never speak at all.

-

In the early morning, I’m combing my mousy brown hair in the small dressing mirror, stealing glances at my docile husband. He was dressed before my eyes were even open and at his desk the minute I left the bed. The air felt stiff this morning, possibly due to the tensions left by last night’s events, so I felt the need to fill the silence with my thoughts.

“The Lady Sanada seemed a perfect match for Lord Sanada, didn’t she? They both seem so shy, but so earnest and excitable!” I looked at Lord Masamune, but he was still fixated on his work. “Masamune?”

He looked up for a moment and then back down sheepishly. Because I didn’t want to embarrass him, I repeated the things I had just said as if they were new thoughts. Still, the answer he gave was unamused, non-committal. I decided to leave it be, settling for an uneasy silence over strained conversation. When I had finished dressing, I left the room without another word to my husband, and was immediately met with Imame’s presence outside the door.

“Good morning, Imame!” She appeared rattled for a moment, but just the briefest of moments. Her usual, diplomatic smile was on her face before I could even form a thought about it.

“Good morning, milady,” I swatted her shoulder lightly before wrapping my fingers around her wrist to drag her to the main hall.

“Oh stop that, don’t be stuffy!”

-

_Two pairs of hazel eyes met each other curiously in the darkness of the corridor. Imame, a handmaiden of Lady Yoshihime, had been running through the corridors in the darkest hours of the night, trying to escape her unforgiving mistress. Meanwhile, Yahiko, as Shinomi was still known, was sneaking out to the baths when she thought no one would be awake. Imame’s face was red, even in the darkness. She scrambled to her feet, pulling the startled “Yahiko” along with her._

_“Ya-Yahiko! You startled me! It’s so late!”_

_“Same to you, Imame!” Shinomi was also blushing. If anyone were to find her out, it couldn’t be one of Lady Yoshihime’s handmaidens. They would surely tell her and she would in turn use it against the gentle Lord Masamune, who still had a notorious dislike of women._

_“I…I was going to the bathroom!” Imame whispered harshly. Now Shinomi narrowed her eyes._

_“The bathroom is the other way…” Imame’s face now got redder. She tried to turn away, but Shinomi caught her. “Wait, are you okay?”_

_“I’m perfectly fine! Just let me go!” As Imame struggled, Shinomi suddenly had a thought. She quickly pulled the other woman close to her face excitedly._

_“Do you have a lover?!” she squealed, not even bothering to lower her voice. Neither of them had time to take in the shock though, as suddenly, the door they were standing before opened._

_“Must you be so loud so late in the evening?” the normally cool headed Lord Kojuro was standing before them, already in his night clothes with his brown hair falling messily over his eyes. If Imame had been red before, she was absolutely crimson now. Her mouth fell open uselessly. Shinomi, too, was shocked. She snapped out of it first._

_“S-Sorry, milord, we’ll be going!” Shinomi quickly dragged Imame down the corridor until they were in the main hall. Imame’s face was still bright red. She had even begun to fan herself. Shinomi grinned slyly. “So you_ do _have a lover?” Imame looked at her incredulously, then her eyes narrowed. Her sharp gaze pinned Shinomi to her spot, a shiver going down her spine._

_“You’re a woman.” Imame hissed. Shinomi’s hands begin to shake._

_“I-Imame, wait-“_

_“And Lord Date doesn’t know, so you keep this, tonight, to yourself. Understand,_ Yahiko _?” she ground out every last syllable of the pseudonym, seemingly burning it into Shinomi’s heart. All she could do was nod as Imame left the main hall to return to her room. Unbeknownst to Shinomi at the time, Imame decided that night that she had to stay to make sure no harm came to Shinomi and a bond was forged not much different than that of their future husbands._

-

“I can’t believe how you acted yesterday.” My words seemed to shake the thoughts right out of Imame’s head. She turned to look at me, a crinkle forming between her brows.

“How I behaved? I wouldn’t have to if a certain _Lady of the Date Clan_ would act like she knew her own importance.” Imame huffed and continued walking on to the main hall with that. I couldn’t help but huff too. Imame can be so haughty sometimes, just like her husband.

“Still, we were in public!” I berated, but Imame didn’t even look back at me.

“I _know_ this.”

“You could be a little nicer!” she stopped at the door, meeting my eyes with her own as she spoke.

“And you could be a little more adept at social interaction.” Her words boiled my blood, but in the way a sister might get to you. In truth, Imame has been like an older sister to me ever since that night in the corridor. Imame, raised in an orphanage and sold to the Mogami clan as a slave, had had a far better education in the etiquette of samurai houses than I have, so I bow to her directions as she gives them. None of this argument was in earnest, but still, we exchanged silly looks over the table as we waited for our husbands, only ceasing when the doors were suddenly thrown open.

“Oh boy, its breakfast time!” Shigezane came barreling in like lightning released from a cloud. I looked to Imame for help, but before I could speak, I was hefted out of my chair and spun around by the younger Date.

“Lord Shigezane, it’s so early…” I tried to chide him, but he plopped me unceremoniously back into my seat before turning his attention to Imame.

“Good morning, Lady Katakura,” he greeted her in a mockingly formal tone. Shigezane’s affinity for teasing the somber Lord Kojuro has, of course, come to extend to his oft-too-proper wife. Imame tilted her sharp chin away from him in a look of utter indignation. “C’mon, liven up! Nobody even noticed that you did all the work for Nomi!” It was my turn to be offended. A smile broke the firm set of Imame’s features and a giggle passed her lips. I was quickly out of my seat, swatting my kimono sleeves at the insensitive lout. Still, the rowdy morning was a beautiful respite.


	4. Strawberry Donuts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Akimoto", "Kusonoki", and "Itagaki": In the SLBP game, you pick a surname for the MC, which is used until marriage. Following this tradition, and not necessarily in line with history, these are the surnames given to Miyuki, Sanako, and Tomame respectively.

Lady Tokugawa

/*\

_The wind rustled the tall grass as Miyuki tried fitfully to spread the blanket out over it. The other two women were no help as she tried to find some rocks to weigh it down. Tomame was standing awkwardly to the side, her eyes glued to the horizon the men had disappeared beyond. Sanako was flitting around in the grass, chasing butterflies and picking clovers._

_“Itagaki, would you give me a hand?” Tomame jumped at the sound of Miyuki’s voice. Her honey brown braid flew over her shoulder and settled down her back. Her face seemed more open without it. “Please?”_

_Tomame nodded and made her way over to the blanket, settling the rocks in their places as Miyuki held the blanket. When they were done, Miyuki sat down and patted the blanket beside her. “Come. Sanako could do that all day.” There was a warm smile on her face, something that reminded her of the way Tadatsugu looked over Ieyasu. She knelt beside Miyuki, whom she was only meeting for the first time today._

_“I’m Miyuki Akimoto. I tend the gardens around Kiyosu. Sanako Kusonoki is a chef, a personal favorite of Lord Oda. And I hear you’re a maid in Mikawa?” Tomame nodded slowly, her fingers clenching at the fabric of her kimono. She knew this was all a farce, that the reason they were here was very different. These women may be favorites of their lords, but Tomame was different. She shared his bed._

_At least, that’s what she thought._

_“It’s okay, Itagaki.” Tomame met Miyuki’s umber brown eyes curiously. They were still as gentle as when they had first sat down. “I tend to more than just the gardens, as I’m sure you do more than hem Lord Tokugawa’s kimonos.”_

_“Miyuki!” Sanako’s astonished voice came from over Tomame’s head, but she didn’t move to greet her. Miyuki, however, laughed at her embarrassment._

_“What? We can’t really expect to marry such great men. We may only have each other one day.” Tomame looked back over the horizon as Sanako settled herself beside Miyuki. The women all smiled, but they shared a similar darkness in their hearts. They knew the road ahead was long and uncertain. They formed a friendship in these hills on this bright spring day._

_When Tomame looked back, however, Sanako was on fire…_

_-_

A scream leapt from my throat and pulled me from my bed. I felt cold sweat prickling on every inch of my skin. My heart lurched at the sight my brain had conjured for me. Footsteps pounded down the hall to our chambers and before Lord Ieyasu could even open his mouth, the shoji doors were thrown open.

“Lady Tomame!” It was Tadatsugu and Toramatsu, Lord Ieyasu’s most trusted retainers, but they were instantly met with a hard slap as he raised his hand against them before slamming the door on them. He then turned angrily on me as I tried to wipe the tears from my face. I don’t know what was more the cause of my trembling hands: that dream or my husband’s impending fury.

“How am I supposed to sleep with all of you fools in my castle?” Lord Ieyasu asked with an air of exasperation as he crawled back into the bed. I started to alight, but he wrapped his sinewy arms around me and pulled me forcefully to his chest. “Just stop moving around, you imbecile.” His words were harsh, but his actions calmed me back to sleep. When I awoke again, it was fully daylight and I was alone in our room. I tried to continue about my morning as if that dream was not plaguing me, but my heart felt constricted as I tried. As I was dressing in a simple green kimono, the light caught a particular hairpin I hadn’t even remembered taking out. It was filled with many memories for me, memories of my wedding day. Ones of laughter and well wishes. Ones of tears. One of Lady Oda placing the golden hollyhock in my hair while Lady Akechi powdered my face, the two women smiling like the sun shining in through the shoji, but one lost to us forever.

After dressing, I went off to find Tadatsugu to aid in the preparations for their visitor this morning. He turned me away, as expected, saying I had more important things to worry about as lady of the household. So, after helping the maids with a few menial tasks, she returned to her chambers with Chiyo and Hana, my self-appointed handmaidens, on my heels. They fussed about as they dressed me in a dandelion kimono, white swans gracefully sailing across a wide swatch of red that descended to the hem. I let them help because, in truth, I was still not used to the intricate formal garments. My life as the daughter of a farmer in Mikawa had no need of these things. When we finished and I returned to the main hall, it was early afternoon. I took my spot beside Lord Ieyasu moments before the doors of the main hall were opened and the Sanada brothers walked inside.

“Thank you for receiving us, Lord Tokugawa,” Lord Nobuyuki offered as the brothers bowed before him. I could feel the cold smile on Lord Ieyasu’s face without even turning my head. The Tokugawa had been instrumental in the demise of the Takeda and of Takeda Shingen himself. To have these men, some of his most trusted retainers, before us now is nothing short of a miracle. Outwardly, my husband is reveling in the cruelness of fate. Only I know the secret apprehension he feels.

“If you wish to make an alliance, my terms are simple. Numata for our protection.” Lord Nobuyuki, having always been the diplomatic one, didn’t so much as flinch at the question, while Lord Yukimura balked it wholeheartedly. Lord Ieyasu already knew that they were courting other alliances. Tadatsugu had explained as much to me when we had tea a few evenings past. He also explained how Lord Ieyasu knew that asking Numata was asking too much, but that this condition would test the true resolve of the Sanada clan. Listening to Lord Yukimura’s adamant refusal of the bartering of Numata set an uneasiness over my heart. He took a few deep breaths before suddenly, he reached into his kimono. The hands of every retainer around us flew to their swords immediately, but Lord Yukimura didn’t stop for a moment. From inside, he produced a cloth sack and tossed it to Lord Ieyasu.

“Yukimura’s bride remembered your fondness for strawberries and made these especially for you,” Lord Nobuyuki explained. Lord Yukimura watched him with proud smile, his anger ebbing at the mention of his bride. I felt a warmth spread through my heart at the display, before the donuts were suddenly on the ground before me.

“Oops,” I turned to Lord Ieyasu who was looking at the Sanada brothers ruefully, “I must have let them slip. I apologize.” I did not lend my eyes to the ensuing argument between the men in the room, instead fixing them on the small confections before me. In those moments, the soft pinkness of the donuts became the garnet of Sanako’s bridal kimono, the crimson of Sanada’s armor, at the blood that would surely spill at both their feet.


	5. The Plot and All Its Pawns

Lady Akechi  
/*\

I was seated at my husband’s desk, staring at the letter before me. It was addressed to me but sealed with the crest of the Takeda. My heart raced as I thought about what this could mean-a warning, a declaration, an attempted assassination. My palms began to feel sweaty. I could rule out assassination, I realized, because a former Oda ninja had brought it to me, courtesy of a source he wouldn’t give. I picked it up and let the weight of it sink into my hands. Memories spilled across my tired mind suddenly, the words of those few letters Sanako had sent me from Azuchi spilling forth. Those thoughts compelled me to open the letter, but it was not Sanako’s unsteady script I was met with.

_Lady Akechi,_   
_I hope this letter finds you well in Sakamoto. In these times of unrest, we know better than anyone that cannot be guaranteed._

I dropped the letter as if it had burned me. My eyes scanned the room for anyone who may be looking over my shoulder, even as I was unsure of what this letter could mean. When I was certain, I picked the letter up again.

_The news even reached my ears in Ueda, piercing my sorrows for as long as I could dwell on it. Whatever you felt for your lord, Oda Nobunaga, I’m sure was enough to bear. But for his wife…I’m sure you’re devastated. I know the fondness I feel for Lady Sanada and_ Shiome _and I cannot imagine losing either of them. But while they are my closest friends, even like sisters to me, they are now far from me in my heart. My pain seems to be a wall between us that I can never again climb. That’s why I am penning this letter, to someone who surely stands on this side of the wall with me._  
 _Even if fate never brings us near again, let us be friends, if only in words._

_Lady Harume_

I read the letter three and then four more times, storing every last word in my heart before I quickly tucked the letter away in a lacquered box on the bookshelf, one where I kept my personal correspondences. I then pulled out a piece of paper and began to pen my answer.  
-  
_“Lord Katsuie will not stop crying,” Miyuki snickered as she sat next to Sanako on the veranda. In her white bridal kimono, Miyuki wondered if she should even be sitting, but the thought left her as the sake made her mind hazy._

_“Same with Lord Niwa! I swear, it’s as if their own son got married!” The blush of drink was high on Sanako’s cheeks too, the bright smile creasing her black eyes. Miyuki giggled right alongside her as their men stumbled out into the courtyard where they could see._

_"Mitsuhide, I swear, if I hear any more of their blubbering, I’ll slay them all in my very own castle.” Lord Nobunaga, far further gone in the drink than even the two women, was proclaiming to the whole courtyard. Mitsuhide shook his head as he tried to steady his lord, a faint blush on his own face._

_“They’re just happy, milord,”_

_“Well, you get married then! I’ll give you a castle! Make a woman of Miyuki!” Mitsuhide’s blush deepened, as did the one on Miyuki’s face as she and Sanako listened in. Sanako snickered and poked at Miyuki, who waved her off._

_“_ _Tell me that tomorrow when you aren’t-whoa!” Both Mitsuhide and Nobunaga suddenly lost their footing and tumbled to the ground. The two women burst out laughing and then quickly hid_ themselves _behind pillars, hoping not to be caught. There was silence in the night for a while before Lord Nobunaga began to laugh._

_“Mitsuhide, you’re a fine man. A fine samurai. If you’re waiting on my approval, you have it.”_

_“Milord…” the two men laid on their backs staring at the moon for a while, Sanako and Miyuki wandering back into the party just before Mitsuhide had the chance to respond._

_“I was simply waiting for you to go first, as always.”_  
-  
“M-Milady?” I raised my head from my task to see Ranmaru fall prostrate in the doorway. My shock brought me to my feet, but his words halted my movements.

“I’m departing for Hamamatsu!”

“For…for Lord Hideyoshi?” Ranmaru looked up at me for a moment, then bowed again. His hands were trembling on the tatami.

“Yes! And…I don’t need your permission! I’m…just…” Ranmaru lifted his hand as I put my hand on his shoulder. While he mustered the courage to utter those words, I had made my way over to him and knelt down. His eyes were filling with tears, but also with rage. “I will avenge Lord Nobunaga. I have to…”  
-  
_An orange haze began to fill the sky from the direction of the temple. Miyuki could only watch with a restless heart as it burned. Only four people in the world would ever know what really happened on that hill and two of them would vanish from the face of this earth tonight. Miyuki was never supposed to know, but the burden the plot placed on Lord Mitsuhide’s heart had forced him to tell her. He would “betray” Nobunaga in that temple, letting his dearest friend escape into the night to lead a peaceful life with his bride. In theory, Lord Mitsuhide would defeat the Lord of Hell and be the hero Japan needed._

_None of them realized how wrong they would be until it was too late._

_The night raged on and Miyuki eventually fell into a fitful sleep. Before the sun even thought to lap at the horizon, a cry tore through the halls to raise the remaining occupants from their sleep._

_“He’s dead! Lord Nobunaga is dead!” Miyuki grabbed her cloak and dashed out into the hallway. She reached the gates in time to see the battle-worn soldiers cross its threshold, torn bellflower standards hung over their shoulders. Lord Katsuie and Inuchiyo had hefted Lord Mitsuhide’s battered form over their shoulders and were carrying him through the gates. As soon as they were inside though, they tossed him into the dirt._

_“Milord!” Miyuki rushed out into the garden, the battered men moving to let her past. She fell to the dirt beside him, bringing his head into her lap. As she tried to wipe the blood from his face with her yukata sleeves, she heard a scoff from overhead. She looked up to see the two men, former allies, looking at both of them with disdain._

_“_ _I wouldn’t raise my sword against a dead man,” Lord Katsuie growled, “but I hope his trip to hell is quick.” With that, the two men turned and marched out of the castle. As they left, Ranmaru could be seen between them, blood-soaked and weary. His eyes met Miyuki’s as he stumbled to her side, falling to the ground before her._

_“Why?” he groaned, tears finally spilling over his cheeks. “Men kill men all the time, but…Lady Sanako…” Miyuki’s breath hitched in her throat. A feeling of dread filled the pit of her stomach._

_“Wh…what about…Sanako?” she looked down at Lord Mitsuhide, still unconscious, and then back to Ranmaru, who was fighting back tears too strongly to speak. She looked all around her, a terror she had never known building in her. She dropped her husband to rise to her feet, frantically pulling at shirt sleeves and collars, begging anyone to tell her what happened. As they all brushed her aside, she heard Ranmaru’s voice through the crowd._

_“She went in after him! She died right beside him!”_ _She would not find out until days later the truth, the way Nobunaga betrayed them. He gave his life, and Sanako hers, to see a new Japan forged in their absence._  
-  
The pain was so fresh I could still smell the blood in nostrils as I looked at Ranmaru’s conflicted face. “You do what you have to, Ranmaru, and so will I.”  
He nodded firmly and rose to his feet, leaving my chambers a new man. As his form grew more and more distant, the last of the Oda retainers to trust me, the last connection I had to those happy days in Kiyosu, I felt the winds of change coming for me.


	6. Becoming a Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saizo's Bride: If you recall, in Saizo's wedding event route, he never officially marries MC. So until his Act II is released stating otherwise, I'm going to say that at this point in the story, they are married in spirit only.

Lady Kirigakure

/*\

The sun was returning to Ueda, bearing down on us with its radiant heat. Natsumi was reclining against the tree with Harume’s head in her lap, braiding her carob hair with nimble fingers, while I watched them from a low tree branch. Sasuke was pestering Saizo about his ninja training, which we could hear all the way out here, of course. Lord Yukimura bounded down the hallway, offering in his bombastic way to take Sasuke for more samurai training, which Sasuke begrudgingly accepted. As they disappeared around the corner, my eyes only following them for a second, Saizo too disappeared. I let out a long-suffering sigh and was answered with a chuckle.

“Looking for someone?” the voice in my ear startled me so thoroughly that I lost my balance, nearly falling forward out of the tree branch onto Harume and Natsumi. But, of course, Saizo would never cause such a scene. So the two women below us were looking up at us and laughing and Saizo kept me firmly affixed to my spot.

“Yes, a loving husband. But I can’t seem to find one.” I spat, but he was already gone. I slid from the tree branch onto the ground and laid on the other side of Natsumi. Harume was still laughing, her body shaking with mirth.

“Shio, he _does_ love you!” she chortled. I just rolled my eyes. I’m sure Saizo was listening, somewhere, and probably rolled his own eyes at her proclamation.

“He loves _dango_.” I corrected, which made Natsumi snicker too.

“And Yukimura loves his spear, but he also loves his Lady Sanada.” We all laughed with her and her relaxed way of speaking, filled with so much of the pride of Lord Shingen. As I basked in the glow of his memory, I heard Matsuko call to us from the castle, telling us there was going to be another war council. I stood and pulled Harume to her feet before we both offered Natsumi a helping hand. As soon as she was on her feet though, she began to sway.

“Natsu!” We both cried, putting our arms around her back to steady her. She just shook her head, her face flushing.

“It's fine. I stood up too quickly.”

“Every time you stand?” Harume was trying to sound sarcastic, but the crease in her brow belayed the real anger she felt. Natsumi had been like this for days and she wasn’t talking to us about it.

“Yes, Harume, I’m a klutz like that,” Natsumi jested, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes, nor did it reach ours in our responses.

Later, I was sitting on the veranda outside Saizo’s room when the very man himself appeared beside me.

“Your face will get stuck that way, little lady.” I didn’t even jump this time. Being near his chambers, I expected him to come in and out as he pleased. I just heaved another weary sigh.

“Something is wrong with Natsu.” I waited for his usual aggravation, but it didn’t come. I looked over at him and his face was his usual, blank mask, which struck me as odd. “You’re not…going to say I worry too much or I’m imagining things?” Saizo lazily rolled his head towards me with his lopsided smile.

“Are you?” He laid back on the veranda, lounging in the sunlight like a cat, leaving me to my thoughts. What I could make of them, though, I didn’t dare to utter until that night as I was walking the corridors of the castle. Saizo’s sudden disappearance after dinner had left me restless and unable to sleep, so I wandered about like a ghost, tracing the steps of my past life. I found myself, somehow, outside Lord Nobuyuki’s chambers where a thin sliver of light jetted out and into the garden, hushed laughter coming with it.

“To think, our little Yukimura has finally grown up.” Lord Nobuyuki was saying. I was about to walk away, disregard it as another evening spent by father and son reminiscing, but Lord Masayuki’s voice pulled me back.

“He’s going to be a father.” Those words lit my heart aflame, sent fireflies to my limbs. The smile that broke my face was uncontrollable. As quietly as I could, I dashed down through the castle to Harume’s chambers, throwing the door open in my haste, only to have the warmth completely sapped from my limbs. Harume’s somber eyes met mine, rimmed red from holding back tears, but Natsumi, looking up from where she had been laying in Harume’s lap, had a face wet with them.

“Sh-Shio…” she sobbed. Before either of them could tell me to leave, I firmly closed the shoji door and knelt down in front of them.

“I’m not a noble lady like you, I know, but you can tell me.” Natsumi looked up at Harume, but Harume’s eyes never left my face. I guess Natsumi saw approval in that, because she sat up, straightened her kimono, and began to speak.

“We’re in a delicate position, Shiome. What Lord Yukimura does next will determine the fate of this entire clan.” I nodded. She took a shuddering breath and continued. She told me all about the negotiations with the Tokugawa, the double-dealing with the Uesugi, the hope offered by the Toyotomi. And how all of it would mean nothing if she were there to shake Lord Yukimura’s resolve. So with the blessing of Lord Masayuki, who knew she was pregnant before she even did, she was going to leave Ueda to return to Kyoto, where she could safely deliver the child and wait for the Sanada to come back to power.

“Harume…this is crazy…” I breathed. My voice burned my throat, knowing it was the wrong thing to say.

“She has to do this.”

“She may never see him-“

“You think she doesn’t know that!”

“I think this is selfish!”

“And what would you know?!”

“I’m not even allowed to _marry_ my husband! At least you two had the option!” I was on my feet now, as was Harume. Both of us gasped at the unbidden confessions let loose in our anger. Natsumi stared up at us from the floor, tears still spilling over her cheeks. A beat passed, silence filled with anger and the singing of cicadas before either of us spoke again.

“You _would_ know…” Harume sighed, offering that as her olive branch.

“And you would know, better than either of us, about the sacrifices one has to make for peace.” Her eyes met with the floor, hands clutching her growing child protectively. Natsumi stood on shaky feet, wiping her face in her sleeves before puffing her chest out.

“Then you’ll help me,” she stated, “to the very end.”

“To the very end, milady.”

Natsumi left us in the morning, leaving all the finery of Lady Sanada behind. But as Saizo had a tendency to meddle, she was back with us before the sunset, Lord Yukimura declaring he would find some other way out of this, some new horizon.

Harume said it would be the end of us all.


	7. Dancing in the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taiko: war drums

Lady Akechi

/*\

_Lady Harume_

_I am in Sakamoto, though I do not know for how long. Or even if I want to stay. Every inch of this place feels tainted with secrets and pain, as surely as the ash on the ground at Hongan-ji. I think that ash will forever rest on my heart._

_Our husbands may have been enemies, but as a woman, I grieve for your loss and pray for your heart’s rest every day. Truly, losing Lady Oda was a great blow to me, but it cannot compare to losing your husband. I feel I may know that pain all too soon._

_I think I hear the taiko, but it could be the beat of my anxious heart. It surely thunders in my chest as I wait for someone-anyone-to make the next move. I never knew losing Lord Oda could disrupt the world so much._

_I hope that all of their blood will not be spilled in vain._

_Lady Miyuki_

-

A few nights after Ranmaru left for Hamamatsu, Lord Mitsuhide finally returned to the castle. I and the few retainers left standing with us greeting him at the gates. We all played out our roles as if nothing had changed, as if this was still the Sakamoto of better days. With the pageantry played out, business went by as usual. I didn’t see Lord Mitsuhide again until well after dinner. He came to me fresh from the bath. All of his movements were stiff as he knelt before me.

“Miyuki…I have treasured my time with you more than any other in my life,” he declared wistfully, blue eyes bearing into mine so strongly that I felt locked in by them, unable to move.

“And I with you.”

“My greatest accomplishment in life has been to be your husband.” Tears began stinging the edges of my eyes. My husband folded his larger hands over mine in my lap, squeezing ever so slightly as if to see I am still here. “But…your greatest accomplishments are still ahead of you. You need to-“

“No.” I returned his grip, but even stronger. I straightened my posture to meet his eyes as evenly as I could. “I promised you all of me, forever, no matter the cost. I will not leave you.”

A range of emotions swirled in those cerulean orbs. His brows must have knotted and unknotted a million times in what felt like years, but was actually a moment, my heart twisting with them. I felt the grief and the anger from that night all over again, mixed with this new fear of the uncertain. I was on the edge of losing my sanity when he finally spoke again.

“I will give all the retainers the day off, and then you and I will go away together.” His words held a truth I didn’t dare untangle, not now. I nodded before gently pressing my lips to his, reassuring them where my voice failed me of those vows made just a few moons ago in these very walls. Wherever you go — I breathed into every touch of my lips on his skin, chanting it silently like a spell to bind our hearts anew — I will go too.

-

In the morning, Mitsuhide was gone before I was awake, surely to let everyone know they would not be needed here today. I took in the warm sun on my face as I waited for him to return, my heart filling with nostalgia. I thought of my humble childhood, being orphaned so young by the war and finding myself in the house of a farmer with lofty dreams of living in the gardens of great castles. I thought about the day I came to the gates of Kiyosu, disguised as the fictitious son my adopted father never had. I thought of another young woman in a similar predicament, posing as her brother to be a poison taster in his place.

The warmth on my face was becoming a warmth in my heart as I remembered Sanako. I could see her as perfectly in my mind’s eye as if she were standing right in front of me. In fact, as I opened my eyes, I could see her in the garden, dancing in the grass in a brilliant pink kimono. Her black hair tossed about in the wind, her smile as bright as the summer sun. I wanted so badly to reach out and take her hand, join her in her dance, but I kept my hands to myself. Her appearance before me was proof enough of what I needed to do. Before my husband returned to our room, I would pen a letter.

Then I think I’ll join her for a dance.


	8. Atonement

Lady Takeda

/*\

_Lady Harume,_

_It is funny how the winds of fate blow. I hear you were sold to a brothel many moons ago and there, met Lord Shingen. I was a simple gardener. Lady Tokugawa was a seamstress. Lady Oda was a kitchen maid. Even if history forgets us, we have still surely married some of the greatest men of our era._

-

There was a harsh wind blowing outside the castle walls. Natsumi was at my side, rubbing my back and trying to comfort me as sweat prickled on my brow. I had tried ushering her out, telling her to rest, to keep this stress from her baby, but she insisted.

The pressure on my pelvis was great, as painful as it was overwhelmingly uncomfortable. Shiome was between my legs, taking over where more experienced maids had lost their nerve. When I went into labor earlier, I was out in the garden. Two maids who were doing the laundry came to my side and escorted me to the corridor that led to my room. In their usual fashion, though, they stopped at the end. Nobody dared go near the widow’s room, lest they bring my sadness and misfortune upon themselves.

When Shiome and Natsumi got here, they brought Matsuko and Aiko from the kitchens, but the two were little help. There were no men in the room, per tradition, but I could hear Sasuke’s nervous footsteps outside the doors when I stopped to take a breath. As a flash of lightning lit up the shoji, another figure seemed to appear. One with long hair and broad shoulders.

“Shingen…”

-

_I hear Lord Takeda was a man of indomitable spirit, much like Lord Oda, a man whose very presence could silence a room and make powerful men tremble. It seems unfair that such great spirits have been taken from this world, but I don’t think they are truly gone._

-

Shiome’s green eyes were wide with concern, her head quickly swiveling to the doors where I’m sure she saw nothing. Suddenly, all the feelings of grief I thought I had cried out of me in those first few months here came flooding back. My eyes stung, my chest constricting. It became hard for me to even suck a breath in. I tried to push the two women away, but Natsumi held on even tighter.

“Harume, I’m sorry!” she cried, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Shiome’s once sure hands were trembling on my knees now, but she too refused to back away. “I know he isn’t here and we’re not really substitutes, but we’re not leaving, Harume, we promise!”

Shiome nodded along with Natsumi’s bold words. A sob escaped my chest and tore through my lips. The tears falling down my cheeks mirrored the rain falling off the roof like a waterfall. I felt like the strength was leaving me, like I couldn’t do this any longer. None of it matters without him here. The edges of my vision were becoming blurry. Shiome saw my consciousness fading and leaned forward, pulling me up by the collar of my kimono.

“You married a tiger! I thought tigers were strong!” she screamed in my face, tears sliding down her own cheeks. I looked up into those emerald eyes and felt the small flame there begin to warm me.

“I thought…ninjas…were quiet…” I rasped.

-

_I have never once stopped seeing Lady Oda or feeling her presence near me. Her life is recorded in every inch of this castle, despite having never set foot here. In the kitchens, I smell her food. In the corridors, I hear her voice. In the garden, I see her dancing in the flowers. And when Lord Mitsuhide is gone, I feel her beside me, just like when we first came to Kiyosu, telling me that everything will be alright. That we did the right thing. I’m sure you feel your husband’s presence even stronger._

-

I put my hands on either side of me now, like I would go to battle with Shiome and not the pain within me. Natsumi settled herself behind me, giving me her strength so that I could give one final push. As my last scream left my body, there was a louder cry that pierced the night air. Shiome hurriedly wiped at the child’s face, beaming at it with the brightest smile I had ever seen.

“Oh, it’s a boy. Such a brave little boy,” she was cooing, tears still falling from her eyes. Natsumi’s eyes took the scene in in amazement as her right hand lovingly stroked her stomach, surely thinking of the similar miracle she would soon experience. When she handed my child to me, the whole world seemed to stop. His amber eyes had me totally transfixed, just like his father.

-

_Tonight, I will atone for the blood on my hands, put there by my own foolishness. The whole world will forever believe that Lady Oda went there intending to fight with her husband, but really, she was there because of me. I knew the real plan-the plot to fake the death of Lord Oda so he could escape with her-and I let her wander about in darkness until her heart led her to sure destruction. Every arrow that pierced her flesh may as well have been loosed by my own hands. Lord Mitsuhide feels the same. So tonight, we sacrifice our souls to heaven’s divine judgment and leave the world to the new life inside you and every other samurai son._

_When your child is born, teach him the kindness your husband showed you. Teach him the bravery and the pride of their samurai ways, but the mercy they were not afforded. Teach him that life is precious and peace is more valuable than strength. Teach him to learn from our follies, not emulate them._

_I am grateful to have known your friendship, however brief._

_Lady Miyuki_

-

Sitting on the veranda with my son held in my arms, I stared into the morning sky. The last letter passed on by Kiyohiro was held close to my heart. It had reached us only a few days after the news of Lord Akechi’s passing had reached the castle. For some reason, as I woke from the little sleep I had managed, Lady Miyuki was the first thought on my mind. I rocked my child gently as I thought of her words, her pleas for a better future to begin with my child and Natsumi’s. For the first time, I realized our children would represent so much more than the proof of our love. They would be the future.


	9. Stages of Grief

Lady Tokugawa

/*\

I’m sure Tadatsugu is saying something, but I can’t hear him.

I don’t know how long it’s been now, just that I haven’t left the bedding. I think it is becoming a part of me. My night clothes are becoming a new skin.

Every beat of my heart feels painful like a weight is pressing on it to stop its resistance. My lungs take in air, but never really get their fill. My fingers tingle with the knowledge of her absence. When Sanako died, I don’t want to say it was easy. Death never is. But when they told me, I didn’t break for her. My heart seemed to know her absence as well as it had known her presence, maybe because her husband seemed so ephemeral. The very moment I met him, I knew he was not long for this world, so she couldn’t be either. But Lord Mitsuhide seemed like a rock in the storm, everlasting and unbreakable. I thought if anyone would ride out of this nightmare alive, it would be him.

Maybe that’s why this is so much harder.

My eyes feel dry, my face stiff from tears that have stuck to it. My body feels weighted to the bed. Toramatsu is walking in now, staring at me with eyes just as worried as Tadatsugu’s, but I’m looking through them.

-

_Tomame was kneeling next to Miyuki at the back of the main hall, watching over today’s proceedings. Lord Ieyasu performing his usual placations for Lord Nobunaga, which grated on his nerves, causing Lord Mitsuhide to step in. Meanwhile, the two ladies, both newly announced as brides of their respective clans, could hardly contain themselves._

_“Look at that furisode! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Tomame whispered excitedly to a giggling Miyuki._

_“Lord Nobunaga asked me to help pick it out. He was such a brute about the whole thing, acting like he had never seen kimono silks in his life!” Tomame giggled too, catching Lord Hideyoshi’s attention. Ever the gossip, he decided to join their conversation._

_“I can’t believe he got Sanako to wear it! She was so nervous about accepting it!”_

_“Could you shut up?” Inuchiyo hissed, but the women just kept giggling. It must have been loud enough to get Sanako’s attention because she looked their direction and stifled her own giggle behind her fan. Lord Hideyoshi, bored with the seemingly endless small talk that Lord Ieyasu and Lord Nobunaga were engaging in, suddenly got a brilliant idea. He signaled to the two ladies behind him to watch and then turned back to Sanako, making a very silly face as he did. Her eyes went wide and she quickly brought her fan back to her face, successfully hiding her broad smile behind those paper cherry blossoms._

_“Well this won’t do,” Lord Hideyoshi sighed. He started to make an exaggerated mimicry of the two lords speaking. Miyuki and Tomame joined in, mocking other retainers like Inuchiyo. Sanako couldn’t contain her laughter now and her little sounds broke the stuffy atmosphere of the room. When Lord Nobunaga finally turned to address her, all of the troublemakers ceased, sitting up straighter in their seats as they awaited his wrath. Lord Nobunaga looked at Sanako sternly, her smile withering under his gaze. Everyone thought she would surely be reprimanded right there, but the Lord of Fools, in line with his name, just smiled._

_“I think we’re done for today. It seems our council has been invaded by kappas.” Lord Ieyasu groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process. The new brides, however, just smiled._

_-_

“Get up!” The memory shattered with the sound of his voice. Lord Ieyasu was there in the doorway, dragging the previous visitors out by their collars. When they were out of sight, he turned to me with eyes blazing. “You too.” With those words, he pulled the bedding off of me and dragged me to my feet. I followed him on unsteady legs as he pulled me to the veranda before shoving me off into the dirt.

“There! There’s the sun! There’s the breeze! You’re still alive, so stop moping!” I felt the warm dirt under the palms of my hands and the sun beating down on my back. I wanted to lay down right there, wait for the dirt to consume me too, but I sat up and looked back at my husband. His face was a mix of anger and…something…maybe fear? Or concern? I don’t think he really knew.

“For how much longer?” I asked, my voice shakily passing my lips for the first time in days. Lord Ieyasu just scoffed at it.

“What nonsense. As if someone as bothersome as you could die.” He spat those words before stalking off down the hallway. I should probably be offended or hurt, but instead, I sat in silence for a moment. I took in the smell and the feel of the sun and then my face finally moved. It smiled.

Laughter, from I don’t even know where, bubbled up from inside my stomach. Raucous laughter, a laugh I hadn’t laughed in a while. I grabbed my sides as I shook with mirth, tears of joy washing away my tears of grief. And for a while, I just kept laughing.


	10. Little Lady Momo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR Spoilers for Yukimura's Act II

Lady Sanada & Lady Kirigakure

/*\

The castle had fallen into a deep quiet. Saizo was sitting by the door, his katana resting on his left shoulder while Shiome slept on his right. They had been with me since Lord Yukimura left, Saizo guarding me while Shiome looked after the baby.

_My_ baby.

Little Momo was sleeping peacefully beside me. Everyone kept telling me how they had never seen such a quiet newborn. I wondered to myself if maybe she knew. Knew about the tension that plagued the castle, about the many deaths that came before her joyful birth. Maybe that’s why her eyes, when she first opened them, seemed so sad and so familiar.

As she turned in her sleep, Shiome did too. Saizo offered her the smallest of glances, but everyone knows that if she were in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to act. I thought I understood that feeling as I fell deeper and deeper in love with Yukimura. But now, looking at this wriggling ball of squishy joy, I wonder if _Saizo_ even knows what it’s like to want to protect someone with every tissue in your being. Every beat of my heart seems to chant her name. If I ever had to choose between my child and my own life, I wouldn’t even hesitate.

I would choose her.

When I saw that smile on Lord Yukimura’s face, I knew he felt the same way. For the first time in a long time, I felt that I could breathe again, that everything would be alright. That thought returning to me now lulled me to sleep.

-

I stood outside the door, clutching the short sword to my chest for protection. Saizo had slipped out to answer a call from Iga, so Natsumi and Momo were left in my charge. My mind should be fully on the situation at hand, but I felt it drifting. I kept seeing baby Takeda’s bright eyes and baby Sanada’s rosy cheeks. It should fill me with joy, but I felt hollowed. Every girl wants to be a wife and a mother. I wanted those things too, but being with Saizo made that dream impossible.

I thought I was resigned to that.

I let out a sigh and slid down the shoji to the floor. Their babies were already like family to me, so it would be alright. I’m sure, in time, I would forget my own situation. I would be the best aunt a child could ask for.

“Thinking silly thoughts?” I turned, thrusting the short sword at the sound beside me, only to have it stopped on Saizo’s wrist protector. I quickly withdrew in fear and embarrassment, but my expression only seemed to make his smile broader. “So you would stab me then?”

I stood to walk back inside with Natsumi, but Saizo forcefully pulled me back to his chest. “Say it,” he hissed. My chest felt tight and my face hot. Not only had he caught me failing in my guard duties, but he had seen through my own thoughts. I didn’t bother to try to wriggle free. I would never get loose. I didn’t want to be.

“I love you, Saizo…but one day, I want to have your child.” As soon as the words left my mouth, he let me go and walked back inside. I could only follow after.


	11. Not Ourselves

Lady Date & Lady Katakura

/*\

I keep willing Imame to look at me, but she never so much as turns her eyes this way. She is sitting on the dais to the left of Shigezane, acting as my decoy. Lord Kojuro, his wife, and Lord Shigezane had all agreed that I should keep a low profile while in Omori, where my husband had sent me to get me away from some of the greater conflict in Yonezawa. Imame had ridden quickly from Yonezawa when she heard the Mogami clan would be paying Omori a visit. It’s no secret that the Mogami are not happy to have a commoner on the throne, so despite the risk of them recognizing her as Lady Yoshihime’s former handmaiden, she came to protect me. I’m sure Lord Kojuro would be fuming if he saw her now though. The kimono I had loaned her was emblazoned with the Date crest.

Shigezane sees me trying to get her attention and winks at me. I’m sure, to everyone else, I’m just another maid he’s trying to charm. A few of Lord Yoshiaki’s retainers see our exchange and scoff at him.

“Such a useless son,” one of them hisses to another. I know Shigezane can hear them, but he ignores them. I always thought he wasn’t the type to let anything rattle him, but every spare moment, he looks at Imame and his brows knit ever so slightly. Its why I’m trying to get her attention too. She has her fan drawn over her face, but I can almost see the firm set of her thin lips drawn into a line. Her hazel eyes far off in the mountains of Oshu. I can’t even tell if she’s breathing anymore, she seems so stiff.

“Lady Date, if you are so bored, perhaps there is some laundry to clean or a floor to scrub somewhere,” the Mogami clan retainer paints it as a well-meaning suggestion, but everyone in the room can see it for the thinly veiled insult that it is. Imame’s eyes lazily swing back to the offending retainer. He has a self-satisfied grin on his face. Her expression doesn’t even change as the fan snaps shut.

“Why, would you care to scrub them?” the retainer’s mouth suddenly hangs open as if to catch flies. The maids beside me audibly gasp. Even Shigezane’s eyes grow wide for a moment. Imame lets her mask slip for just a moment, but quickly composes herself behind her fan. She mutters some apologies before standing to leave the room. I quickly take off after her. I don’t catch her until we are on the other side of the castle. She has carefully discarded the heavy top layers and is standing in the garden in the simplest light green kimono.

“Im-My lady!”

“Don’t _lady_ me, Shinomi! We aren’t _ladies_. We aren’t _cut out_ for this! Look at that—what I _did_. We can’t do this!”

“Ie…” she was pacing frantically, hands waving in the air like she was trying to shew away whatever was coming for us.

“I…we…Sanako…worked in a restaurant. Miyuki…was a gardener…they’re _dead_. Their _husbands_ are _dead_. So many of our retainers are _dead_ and _we_ are _next_ , Shinomi! And they won’t even give us a proper burial! We’re going to _die_ like we never _lived_. No one will care, just like they don’t care about Lady Oda or Lady Akechi. They don’t even say their names!” her words were getting more and more frantic until she finally looked at me, eyes wide in terror and red with tears. Her hair was a mess where she had moved around so much and even pulled at it. Imame-the woman I looked up to, I followed like a puppy, I called my best friend-was looking at me like a small child woken up from a nightmare. For the longest time, all I could do was stare. She eventually collapsed into the garden, never taking her eyes off mine as she sat in the dirt. Shigezane found us there later, when the meeting had finally ended. He tapped my shoulder, told me to go on to bed. I don’t know what happened after that. I spent the rest of the day in my room, staring out the doors into the mountains.

-

Cold.

Not just from the wind blowing or the dirt under my knees, but from inside. Like the holes in my soul are letting the cold air in. I’m becoming full of nothing but empty space as I sit here and…wait? But I don’t even know what I’m waiting for.

“Imame!” I weakly lift my head up to see Shigezane standing over me. He’s trying to look angry, but like a kid, his face betrays the worry he’s feeling. I look away, but he’s suddenly in the dirt in front of me, gripping my shoulders. “Don’t do that! Don’t…look like this! It’s not natural!” his big eyes search mine for a minute, then he throws his cloak over my shoulders. I don’t realize how truly cold I am until then, his gentle warmth sapping the last of my strength from me in an instant. I sink into it and he catches me, lifting me off the ground easily. It seems to only take seconds to wind up back in his chambers, surrounded by his bedding as he sits beside me. He lets me lie there for a bit, warming myself, before he speaks.

“You…and Kojuro take care of…everyone else, huh, doll?” he looks at me with a lopsided smile, “Let me take care of you this time.” I sit up and fiddle with my fingers for a minute, still tingling from the cold, before I allow myself to talk.

“I…don’t want to die…” my voice cracks, so I clear my throat, “I don’t want any of us to die. I just…want a family and a long life. Every other girl gets that.” I expect Shigezane to make some joke, brush my feelings aside to make me laugh like he usually would. But he doesn’t say anything. So I keep going and going. I talk until my eyes become too heavy to stay open. My voice slows until I fall asleep on the spot.

-

_The night of Date Masamune’s wedding, Kojuro is dragging a thoroughly inebriated Shigezane back to his room. The air is doing little for either of them as they make their way down the hall._

_“I cannot believe you tried to pass out in Imame’s lap…” Kojuro sighs, more to himself as he knows Shigezane won’t remember any of this. The younger man just laughs._

_“I did. I love her, darling, I really do.” Kojuro groans and is about to toss the man onto his bedding when Shigezane suddenly grabs his collar, looking more serious than he ever has in his whole life. Kojuro almost believes for a moment that he has miraculously sobered up, such is the conviction in his eyes._

_“I mean it, Kojuro, I love her. I would go to war for her. So you better marry her and make her happy, or I’ll snatch that little lady right out from under you.” His gaze remained serious a moment longer before he ruffled Kojuro’s hair with that same, easy smile on his face and then turned, plopping unceremoniously into his bedding. Kojuro shut the shoji behind him and stared at it for a long time, thinking about the things he just said._


	12. Runaway Bride

Lady Sanada & Lady Kirigakure

/*\

This will be my last night in Ueda.

My husband is leaving the Sanada, his own brother, to follow his heart and his convictions. I’m proud of him, but my heart still feels heavy at the prospect. No more Saizo or Sasuke, no more Shiome or Harume. I’ll even miss the maids and retainers. All of this weighs on me as I come across Shiome in the corridor.

“Shio!” she quickly tucks a scrap of paper into her kimono and turns to me. Her eyes are puffy and red, but these days, this is pretty common for everyone around here. I decide not to point it out. “I’ve been looking for you! Walk in the garden with me!” she weakly nods and follows me out into the garden. We walk in silence for some time before she finally speaks.

“Our last night in Ueda…”

“Ours?”

“Oh! Well…” to my knowledge, Shiome was staying with Lord Nobuyuki to defend Ueda. She sheepishly looked around for a minute before latching herself on to me. “I’m going to miss you. And this place…we have so many memories here!”

“I know,” I responded, the previous subject dropped. We reminisced for some time before I returned to my chambers to make some final memories with my tiny family before departing in the earliest sunlight hours for the mountains beyond our province.

-

This will be my last day in Ueda.

The sun has fully risen over the horizon now. Lord Nobuyuki said it was best to make our departure as obvious as possible. I’m in Natsumi’s old chambers, sitting before a small dressing mirror. She left me a few of her fine kimonos and her powders. She said she won’t need them for her simple life in the mountains. The thought of her tending a kitchen fire in a small farmers’ hut with her little girl on her back makes my heart feel warm, but also empty.

I always wanted that vision for myself.

I swipe the rouge across my lips and stare sadly into my reflection. I’m wearing a light green kimono, golden thread woven through the small plum blossoms adorning it. Natsumi always loved this kimono, but it surely wasn’t one of her favorites. In the language of flowers, which Sasuke tried to teach me about because it’s important to ninjas, the plum blossom represents hope. That feels a bit ironic to me now.

He took all of my hope with two little lines.

A few mornings ago, I awoke to see a letter on my pillow. “Time to move on, Shio. Goodbye”. That’s it. That’s all he left for me. It was the next night that Lord Nobuyuki came to me with his proposal. He would take me with him to Mikawa as his bride and I could bide my time there until I decide what to do with my life. I gave my penned response to Saizo’s letter to Sasuke before getting in the palanquin. He’ll be going to Iga to continue his ninja training. I wave goodbye to him and all the happiest days of my life as we set out on our journey to enemy territory.

_Saizo,_

_There was a letter in our room this morning, under your name but obviously not from you. It said you were moving on._

_Do not be mad at Lord Nobuyuki. He has the best intentions, I’m sure of that. I do too._

_I won’t be a burden to you any longer. This is for the best._

_My heart will always be yours._

_Shiome Hagiwara_


	13. The Lady of Fools

Lady Tokugawa

/*\

There’s a little bit of excitement in the air today. The men are reveling in their final victory over the Sanada, the women buzzing about the new guests. I feel some of that, but mostly, I feel the unrest that comes with bringing your former enemies into your home. I know Lord Nobuyuki from our last meeting and he seemed decent enough, but kind men hide the worst intentions.

We’re all surprised when he doesn’t enter the main hall alone. Walking a step behind him is a girl about my age, 17 or 18. She has raven black hair with a soft wave that hangs over her small shoulders. When she finally raises her head, I see that she has the most amazing deep green eyes, like two pieces of jade under long, fanning lashes. The color is magnified by the green kimono she’s wearing.

“Lord Tokugawa, thank you for accepting our alliance and providing us shelter in these tumultuous times,” Lord Nobuyuki says warmly. Lord Ieyasu sneers at him, but I don’t think he’s being insincere in any way. “I apologize for not informing you sooner. This is my bride, Shiome of Kai.”

“ _Shiome of Kai_ ,” Lord Ieyasu responds, looking mostly disinterested with her. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at her overtly feminine features. Maybe a girl like that with wide, unusual eyes and pouty lips was more his tastes. “She looks like a laundry maid.”

Maybe not.

Shiome’s hands clench ever so slightly beside her, but her face hardly reacts. Lord Nobuyuki gives some mild retort, the usual pageantry, and the meeting is adjourned. When we are dismissed, I make my way over to Lord Nobuyuki and his new bride. “Hello,” I begin.

Shiome turns to me with an uneasy smile. She doesn’t seem to be comfortable with her clothes yet, making me wonder if Lord Ieyasu’s assessment was right. “Hello, Lady Tokugawa,”

“Oh,” I add as she bows, “you can call me Tomome. I still can’t get used to being called ‘Lady’.” This, for some reason, elicits a wide smile from Shiome and, for a split second, her face is overlaid with an even more familiar one.

-

_Outside the main hall, three women in elegant kimonos are gathered-Sanako in a deep crimson, Miyuki in a gentle pink, and Tomome in a sunny yellow. With the formal proceedings on hold for a moment, they are stretching their legs and letting their tense shoulders finally relax._

_“I don’t think I can get used to this,” Sanako mutters._

_“Hm?” Miyuki is the one to vocalize it, but both women are looking at her curiously._

_“Being called ‘Lady Oda’. I mean…_ the _Lady Oda. I just…I don’t feel that important.” Miyuki smiles her most motherly smile as she brushes a stray hair behind Sanako’s ear._

_“You are that special,_ milady _,” she teases._

_“Not as special as_ Lady Tokugawa _,” Sanako turns her attention to the silent Tomome, who’s face instantly turns pink to match her kimono._

_“Oh…you don’t-“_

_“Oh, we_ have _to. I mean, anyone who can put up with Lord Ieyasu like you do is definitely worthy of a title.” Sanako whispers conspiratorially while Miyuki tries to stifle her laugh._

_“Don’t say things like that,” she admonishes._

_“Well, what about you,_ Lady Akechi _? Marrying a man so stuffy?” The two older girls laugh while Tomome watches on. Meekly, she interrupts them._

_“You married the Lord of Hell,” for some reason though, this brings a silence over the group. Sanako blinks a few times, uncomfortable at the reminder of his terrifying reputation, but then breaks into the most gentle, but proud smile._

_“I married the Lord of Fools, so I must be the lady of them.”_

-

I think Miyuki and Sanako would’ve loved her.


	14. Author's Note

PJ Rossi  
/*\

Hello!  
It’s been almost a year since I first started writing When We Meet in Osaka and just as long since I last published, I know. I’ve just finished Kojuro and Masamune’s Act II stories. Of course, this leaves me with a lot to think about as I try to flesh out the ending for this series. There may be some rewriting of previous chapters to come and with my life in a bit of an uproar right now, I can’t say I’ll be able to wrap this up quickly, but I haven’t abandoned it.  
I hope, if anyone is still reading this, that you have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy it!

-Phoenix


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